Clark County Fire Marshal Dan Young has extended the county’s open burning and recreational fire ban indefinitely. In a press release Wednesday, Young said the ban will remain in effect until the county gets a significant rain event.
According to Young, extending the ban will help reduce the risk of grass or brush fires in the county. While rain is in the forecast for Wednesday and today, less than a half-inch of total rainfall is expected over the two days, according to the National Weather Service, far less than is needed to alleviate the region’s dry conditions.
Extending the burn ban matches actions taken by the state Department of Natural Resources and the other counties in Southwest Washington, Young said in the press release.
“The burn ban has historically been removed on Oct. 1 since we typically have at least one significant rain event in mid- to late-September, but this year has been unseasonably dry,” Young said. “At this time, the weather forecast does not show any rainfall in the next two weeks. If conditions change and we get enough rain, we will lift the ban.”
